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'Ozil is just so outrageously talented'

Arsenal completed the signing of Germany international Mesut Ozil on Monday for a club record fee.

To get the lowdown on the 24-year-old, we spoke to German football expert Raphael Honigstein about the attacking midfielder. Here is his scouting report:

"It's a big move because Ozil is falling into the prime time of his career now - you expect him to spend his definitive years at Arsenal. It's also a World Cup year, which I think is very important. The reaction in Germany has been very positive because they feel that Arsenal is the kind of club, with the kind of manager, that will really bring the best out of him. Like many slightly artistic and creative types, I think he needs to have the trust and confidence of the coach to fully blossom.

He's been brilliant for Germany since 2010... he makes the team tick, certainly as far as the attacking third is concerned

Raphael Honigstein

"I'm reminded of a quote that I think [journalist] Sid Lowe wrote once, for Michael Robinson the Spanish expert. He said that Mesut Ozil 'doesn't understand how good he is'. I think that's actually true because he can do the most unbelievable things and at the same time, you just wonder if he could do even more and push harder. He is just so outrageously talented but sometimes he perhaps doesn't dominate games as he should. He's been brilliant for Germany since 2010. He's one of the first names on the teamsheet despite loads of competition in that area. He makes the team tick, certainly as far as the attacking third is concerned.

"He is absolutely the archetypal Wenger signing. He is incredibly technically gifted and just loves playing one-touch football. The one criticism that people have of him is that he doesn't score enough goals. Also for Germany, he can get into good positions but the finish is sometimes not strong enough. With coaching and the right people around him, that can change. He's not old at all. It seems like he's been around forever but he's not even at his prime yet, in terms of age. I think he is the kind of guy that will improve every team, including Arsenal.

"I think something will have to give [in terms of Arsenal's system] - They can't all play No 10. I think the strongest position for Ozil is centrally, behind the striker because it also relieves him a little bit of the duty to run up and down, which isn't really his game and doesn't really bring the best out of him. He needs the time and space for himself to come up with a real genius idea.

He is incredibly technically gifted and just loves playing one-touch football. He is the kind of guy that will improve every team, including Arsenal

Raphael Honigstein

"He has played on the right or the left as a playmaker that plays wide, very much what Cazorla does now. Arsène Wenger has a history of taking central playmakers and putting them on the wings. He can definitely play that role but I would suggest that in the Premier League, which sees a lot of up and down, he would be better in the No 10 position.

"Arsenal at their best dominate the ball. He will certainly help with that. I think he should be ok [in the Premier League]. You have to see how he responds perhaps when it comes to tackles and such. I think he's learned a lot from his last few years so it shouldn't take much time for him to adapt now. He's very mature as a person now as well".

Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source4 Sep 2013

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